Building Structure and Modular Construction

ABSTRACT

Among other things, a load bearing wall structure for a building is disclosed. The load bearing wall structure includes frameless modular wall panels with each frameless wall panel having spaced skins of fiber reinforced cement sheet separated by a core of expanded in situ high density polyurethane foam bonded to inner faces of the spaced skins. Each frameless wall panel also has formed in upright edges a recessed channel forming, together with a recessed channel of an edge-abutting wall panel, a hollow aperture extending between top and bottom surfaces of the abutting frameless wall panels. A lower panel edge locating channel member securable to a building support base is also included. Further included is an upper panel edge locating channel member and a tensionable element extending via each hollow aperture between an anchor member secured to the base and the upper panel edge locating channel member.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This is a Continuation-In-Part application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/473,913, filed on Oct. 5, 2003, the entire contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following disclosure relates to building structures. In particular,the disclosure relates to building structures employing modularframeless load bearing structural panels and also to an improvedconstruction system for assembling such modular panels to form a loadbearing structure.

BACKGROUND

The prior art is replete with modular building structures and associatedconstruction methods, many of which suffer from a variety of problems.Amongst such problems are included the complexity and labour intensityof assembling elaborate framing systems to which modular panels areattached, the inconvenience attendant the use of plural individualfasteners to fix structural panels to one another, and the inferior loadbearing capacity of many modular structures.

An example of a prior art modular construction arrangement which employsa plurality of fasteners is U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,398 which discloses astructure using proportionally sized panels secured together byturn-lock fasteners inserted through aligned openings in adjacent sidesof panels.

A further exemplary prior art construction arrangement is that disclosedin French Patent Document Number 2 389 724. This document discloses amodular building using panels having adjacent vertical sides ofcomplementary shapes. The panels are joined together by screws and arereinforced with metal plates at the location of the joints.

Generally speaking, modular wall construction systems incorporatinginterfitting or interlocking panel systems may be classified as loadbearing or non-load bearing.

Examples of non-load bearing modular wall constructions are disclosed inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,511,000; 3,512,819; 4,031,675; 5,094,053 and 6,679,021which are limited either to internal partitioning or dividing walls orotherwise require a load bearing framework to support a roof structureor the like thereon.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,007,222 and 5,640,824 describe load bearing modularwall structures. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,222, there is described anenergy efficient load bearing wall construction comprising foamedplastic panels having load bearing studs located between or formedintegrally with upright joints between adjacent panels. U.S. Pat. No.5,640,824 discloses a fire resistant modular wall panel havingcorrugated or ribbed metal sheets separated by a plurality of bridgegirt assemblies in the form of elongate brace members withnon-combustible, thermally insulating spacers connecting the webs of thebrace members to effect a compound metal/ceramic structure whereinstructural loads are borne substantially by the exterior metal rib skin.The outer skins are secured to the brace members by rows ofself-drilling/self-tapping screws and the interior cavity may be an airspace or it may include a mineral wool-type insulating medium.

Australian Patent 118357 discloses a modular building constructionutilizing cored precast concrete wall panels with an upper channel toreceive a horizontally tensionable member over the length of the wall. Atruss-like frieze frame sits atop the wall panels.

Australian Patent Application No 71777/74 describes a lightweightmodular panel system comprising a foamed plastics core betweendecorative sheet styrene skins. These panels include spaced verticalcavities within the core and recessed channel-like apertures on alledges to receive steel reinforcing rods and poured concrete to form aload bearing panel with a steel reinforced concrete framing therewithin.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,754,999 discloses a modular system comprising aplurality of metal framed load bearing walls fabricated from C-shapedstuds and roof trusses connected by welding or self-tapping screws.Inner and outer walls may be finished with gypsum wallboard and weatherresistant plywood respectively.

Another building system for constructing lightweight preformed wall androof panels for small dwellings and mobile homes is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 3,898,779. This system incorporates interlocking panels havinga high density polyurethane core between decorative skins such asstyrene sheets with decorative finishes. Although the wall panels aresecured under compression by tensioned tie bolts extending throughspaced cast-in tubes between a contoured upper tie bar and a basestructure, the load bearing capacity of the panels is contributed by theprovision of flat load bearing surfaces in the upper and lower edges ofthe panel members.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,956 describes a reinforced fence and building wallconstruction with lightweight sandwich panels supported at their endsbetween spaced upright tubular posts.

A method and apparatus for manufacturing foamed plastics laminatedpanels for modular building applications is disclosed in the applicant'sAustralian Patent No. 620338, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference. Panels manufactured in the manner described thereinare an example of those suitable for use with the present disclosure.One particular advantage of the applicant's previously disclosed methodis that the panels may be conveniently fabricated at the building site.

SUMMARY

Techniques related to a building structure and modular constructionmethod are disclosed.

In one aspect, a load bearing wall structure for a building includesframeless modular wall panels, with each frameless wall panel havingspaced skins of fiber reinforced cement sheet separated by a core ofexpanded in situ high density polyurethane foam bonded to inner faces ofsaid spaced skins. In addition, each frameless wall panel also hasformed in upright edges thereof a recessed channel forming, togetherwith a recessed channel of an edge-abutting wall panel, a hollowaperture extending between top and bottom surfaces of said abuttingframeless wall panels. The load bearing wall structure also includes alower panel edge locating channel member securable to a building supportbase. Further, the load bearing wall structure includes an upper paneledge locating channel member and a tensionable element extending viaeach hollow aperture between an anchor member secured to said base andsaid upper panel edge locating channel member whereby, in use, verticalloads applied to said wall structure are distributed substantiallyevenly through said spaced skins of said frameless modular wall panels.

Implementations can optionally include one or more of the followingfeatures. The upper panel edge locating channel member can include aload transfer member. Also, the load transfer member can also includethe upper panel edge locating channel member and a compression member,in use, acting in unison. In addition, one or more of the frameless wallpanels can each include an elongate hollow aperture extending betweenupper and lower edges of said one or more frameless panels intermediateside edges thereof. Further, the elongate hollow aperture can extendadjacent a normally upright edge of the one or more frameless wallpanels to accommodate a tensionable element. Also, the load bearing wallstructure can further include a ribbed edge locating member securable toa face of a frameless wall panel to engage a recessed channel of afurther frameless wall panel to form a 90° junction between theframeless wall panel and the further frameless wall panel. The ribbededge locating member can include a channel-like recess behind aprojecting rib extending longitudinally of the ribbed edge locatingmember, the channel-like recess, in use, being adapted to accommodate atensionable element therein. Also, the ribbed edge locating member caninclude a mounting flange extending longitudinally thereof. Further, inuse, a roof structure can be secured directly to the upper panel edgelocating channel member to form an integrally coupled buildingstructure.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided abuilding structure incorporating the load bearing wall structure ashereinbefore described, the building structure having a roof structuremechanically coupled to said base via said tensionable elements.

The subject matter described in this specification provides manyadvantages. For example, a building structure employing load bearingframeless modular panels which overcomes or ameliorates at least some ofthe problems associated with the prior art are provided.

Other features, objects, and advantages will be evident from thefollowing description, drawings and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front elevation view of an exemplary building structure;

FIG. 1B is an end elevation view of the building structure of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a schematic plan view of the building structure of FIGS. 1Aand 1B showing the arrangement of frameless modular panels comprisingthe walls;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged partial sectional view of a base structureshowing the junction of the floor structure with an outer wall;

FIG. 2B is an enlarged sectional view of the portion of FIG. 2A in thecircle;

FIG. 3A is an exploded isometric view illustrating the erection offrameless, modular panels to form a wall, wherein the top load transfermember is an upper panel edge locating member;

FIG. 3B is an exploded isometric view illustrating the erection offrameless modular panels to form a wall, wherein the top load transfermember comprises an upper panel edge locating member and a compressionmember;

FIG. 3C is an enlarged detail view of an optional arrangement forlocating the bottom edges of the frameless modular panels;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged sectional plan views of the aligned panelsshowing the configuration of the positive positioning profiles on theframeless modular panels;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the roof area showing anarrangement of the fascia;

FIG. 6A is an end elevation of a modular roof panel;

FIG. 6B is an enlarged detailed view of the showing the positioningprofiles on the roof panels; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded isometric view showing the arrangement of cornerjunctions and tee-junctions of the walls.

Like reference symbols and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, FIG. 1 shows a building structure 1 in the nature of a smalldwelling which may be constructed. The structure includes a base 2, anumber of walls 3 and a roof 4. The walls, whether external or entirelyinternal, are composed of modular panels 5. The modular panels arefabricated to a typical module size of 900 mm wide by 3.0 m high. Insome situations larger panels may be used, particularly to accommodatethe pitch of a roof. The modular panels are secured to the base bytensionable tie rods (described later) which are disposed along thewalls at 900 mm centres 6. Additional tie rods are disposed at the sidesof openings in the walls 7 and at the corners 8 of the buildingstructure.

The wall panels may be erected on a concrete slab or timber floorstructure or, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, on a floor structure comprisinga panel support frame supported by screw-in foundations. In the latterarrangement, the walls 3 are supported in locating channels 12 by aninverted T-shaped frame member 10 mounted on screw-in foundations 11.

Floor panels 9 are also mounted on the inverted T-shaped member 10 andthe floor panels 9 are generally attached via screws 17A extending intoa transverse support flange of member 10.

FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the region of wall support encircled inFIG. 2A and shows a lower panel edge locating channel 12, in the form ofa C section member, mounted on the outer support flange of the invertedT-shaped member 10 with the modular wall panels 5 located therein.Threaded studs 13, for securing respective tie rods 14, are fastened tothe horizontal face of the outer flange of the inverted T-shaped member10 by welding, screwing or the like and protrude via apertures 17through the wall locating channel 12 into an upright hollow aperture 16formed at the abutting edge junctions of adjacent panels 5 forengagement with a nut 15 fastened to the end of each tensionable tie rod14.

The overall arrangement of the load bearing wall structure may be betterunderstood by reference to the exploded views shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.Individual wall panels 5 are erected and aligned such that abuttingrecessed panel edge channels 16 a together define hollow apertures 16which align with studs 13 and co-operating apertures 17 in the walllocating channel 12.

Each tie rod 14 with attached joining nut 15 is inserted into arespective longitudinal aperture 16 and engaged with a respective stud13 anchored in base 2. A top member in the form of an inverted channel19 locates the upper portions of panels 5 in edge to edge alignment andalso functions as a load transfer member for vertically applied loads.Apertures 22 in the top member 19, are sized to accommodate the shaft ofthe tie rods 14 and are spaced so as to correspond to the spacing ofstuds 13 whereby the upper ends of the rods 14 protrude throughapertures 22 in the top member 19 when it is positioned over the modularwall panels. The upper end of the tie rods 14 is screw-threaded andengageable with a nut 23 to facilitate the tensioning thereof. The nuts23 are engaged with the rods and tightened against the top member 19 toplace the wall structure into compression to a desired degree.

FIG. 3B illustrates the partial completion of a wall, similar to that ofFIG. 3A, but wherein the top member comprises, in combination, an upperpanel edge locating channel 20 and a compression member 21. Thecompression member 21 is located over channel member 20. Apertures 22and 22A in both the channel member 20 and compression member 21respectively, are sized to accommodate the shaft of the tie rods 14 andare spaced so as to correspond to the studs 13.

As with the embodiment of FIG. 3A, nuts 23 are engaged with the rods andtightened against the compression member 21 whereby the channel member20 and the compression member 21 act in unison to impart a predetermineddegree of compression into the wall structure.

FIG. 3C is an enlarged view of the manner in which panel edge channel 16a is aligned with aperture 17 in the lower panel edge locating channel12 to allow the tie rods 14 to be anchored to the base 2 via studs 13(not shown). In an alternative embodiment (not illustrated), the tierods are externally screw threaded at both lower and upper ends thereof.The lower end engages with an internally screw threaded stud adapted,for example, for friction fitting in holes drilled into a concrete slabfloor.

For ease of description, the subsequent embodiments will describe thetop member comprising an upper panel edge locating member and acompression member although it should be understood that the topchannel-shaped member 19 will function alone as a load bearing member.

The use of tie rods, preferably of high tensile strength, can overcomeproblems with fasteners, such as screws or the like, being pulled out ofthe modular panels in high wind load conditions.

The capacity of wall structures arises by the ability of the wall panelsto distribute vertical loads substantially evenly throughout the panelskins spaced by the foam polyurethane core. While cementitious productssuch as fibre reinforced cement sheeting show superior strength incompression, they exhibit poor tensile and flexural load capacity. Whena relatively thin sheet of fibre reinforced cement of about 4 mm to 6 mmin thickness is subjected to a compressive load via opposed edges, itrapidly fractures due to a buckling mode of failure whereby as itbuckles, one face of the sheet resists a compressive load but the otherface is unable to resist a tensile load. By forming the core within aclosed mould containing the spaced sheet skins, the liquid polyurethaneis able to partially penetrate the porous sheet material as it undergoesfoaming under pressure whereby the bond between the core material andthe skins is maximized. The panel structure is thus analogous to anI-beam in that the fully supported but otherwise fragile outer skins areseparated by a “web” of foam material which resists buckling of theouter skins when vertical compression loads are applied and also resistslateral deformation under load.

Vertical static loads tests conducted on a 75 mm thick×900 mm wide panelwith outer skins of 6 mm thick fibre reinforced cement sheeting and acast in mould core of high density polyurethane having a density of 50kg per metre³ showed the panels easily supporting a load of 10 tonnesdistributed over the width of the panel. Compression failures were notedat about 15 tonnes or greater. For 100 mm thick panels having 6 mm thickouter skins, a safe compressive load of 25 tonnes was achieved withabout a 50% safety margin.

Compared with low density foamed plastics panels wherein the outer skinsare secured to the foam core by adhesives, the panels utilized have aload capacity of 4-5 times that of the laminated low density panelshaving a core density typically of about 15 kg metre³.

The load bearing wall structures are thus readily able to resist bothvertical and lateral wind loads due to the combination of the panelstructure and the manner in which the wall structures are anchored tothe base under compression via the upper load transfer members which acttogether in a unitary structure.

FIG. 4A shows in plan, a schematic view of one form of the upright edgeabutment of frameless wall panels 5 having recessed channels 16 a formedin the upright edge faces of panels 5. The core 25 is typically 65-85 mmthick whilst the skins are between 4.5 mm and 6 mm in thickness. At thebutt join between adjacent panels 5, a hollow aperture 16 is formed fromthe two recessed channels 16 a in the facing edges of the panels.

When the panels are abutted, see FIG. 4B, an upright hollow aperture 16is formed to accommodate tensionable tie rod 14. If required, additionalhollow apertures or recesses (not shown) may be provided immediatelyunder the panel skins for accommodating building services such aselectrical wiring.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the upright joint between adjacent panels 5 may beenhanced by the location within hollow aperture 16 of a thin rectangularsection steel or plastics tube 18 which not only assists in maintainingedge to edge alignment of wall panels from top to bottom but alsoprovides additional reinforcement against lateral wind loads. Typically,the abutting ends of wall panels 5 will be coated with a gap fillingflexible polymeric adhesive to maximise the insulating properties of thewall structure and otherwise to accommodate any minor movement due tothermal expansion and contraction of the panels. Where the rectangulartube 18 is located in the hollow aperture 16 between adjoining panels,it too may be secured with adhesive but it need not extend completelybetween the upper and lower channels 12,20 as it is not needed as astructural load bearing member, rather a key to maintain channels 16 ain alignment. It readily will be apparent to a skilled addressee thatthe panel edge joints, whether reinforced with tube 18 or not arethermally efficient as there is no conductivity path from one side of awall structure to the other.

A first embodiment of a roof for the building structure is illustratedin FIG. 5. In this embodiment the roof 4 has a minimum pitch, typicallyof from 3 to 10 degrees, and is supported directly by the external loadbearing walls 30 and by the internal load bearing walls 31. The roof mayalso be comprised of modular panels as discussed in more detail below inrelation to FIG. 6A.

The roof panels 33 are secured at one end to the external walls 30 byscrews 34 which pass through the roof panels 33, compression member 21and upper panel edge locating channel member 20 before terminatinginside the core of modular wall panel 5. In this manner, the roof panelsare mechanically coupled via the engagement between screws 34 and thecombination load transfer member 20, 21 and thence via the rods 14 tobase 2 to form a unitary structure.

At the other end of the roof panel, near the ridge, the screws 34securing the roof panels engage with the load transfer members atopinternal walls 31 in the same manner as with the external walls 30. Thepeak portion of the roof panels is covered by ridge capping 36 whichextends over the roof panel securing screws 34, which capping is securedto the roof panels by further screws 36A.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the modular roof panels 33 in this embodimentinclude a 0.42 mm ribbed steel outer skin 37 and an injectedpolyurethane foam core 38 which has a 0.42 mm ribbed steel inner skin39, the panel is typically 100 mm thick, The underside of the roof panelis lined (39A). The roof lining (39A) may be 4.5 mm fibre-cement board,10 mm plasterboard, random grooved ply or a timber ceiling screweddirectly onto the ribbed steel inner skin. Suitably the roofing panel ishi-tensile sheet ribbed roofing profile. Wooden support blocks 40 areembedded in the core at spaced locations along one end and one side ofthe roof panel to provide mounting points for the fascia panel 41, shownin FIG. 5.

The floor panels described in FIG. 2 may also be made of a similar panelconstruction as the roof panels described above and in reference withFIG. 6. The floor panels are also formed from hi-tensile ribbed steeldecking and may be lined with either composite flooring, waterproof plyor a timber floor applied directly onto the sheeting by screws orgluing.

The use of hi-tensile ribbed steel decking for roof and floor panels hasthe advantage of having high strength, light weight, and being able tospan up to 7 metres, thereby providing ease of construction whilstreinforcing the building strength without the need for roof trusses,bearer and joist floor constructions or the like.

The enlarged detail view of the roof panel joint in FIG. 6B shows thearrangement of a projection 42 and cooperating recess 43 formed in thesides of the foam core 38 of a roof panel 33. The enlargement shows aridge 37A of the outer roof skin extending laterally past the core suchthat, when two cooperating roof panels are engaged, the extended ridge37A clips over the ridge nearest the side of an abutting roof panel. Thecore may also be undercut in the vicinity of the projection so as toproduce a longitudinal cavity 44 when the roof panels are clippedtogether. This cavity may accommodate building services in the samemanner as the subsidiary cavities provided in the wall panels.

Returning to FIG. 5, the outer roof skin is turned-up 45 at the peak endedge thereof to minimise any leakage. The roof skin also extends pastthe foam core 38 and coplanar embedded wooden blocks 40, so as tooverhang the guttering 46 at the fascia end 47. The wood or metal fasciapanel 41 is suspended under the valleys of the overhung roof skin byscrews 48 and attached to the embedded support blocks 40 by a furtherseries of screws 49. The screws which are sunk into the fascia supportblocks also pass through gutter brackets 50 which brackets in turnsupport the guttering 46.

FIG. 5 is also generally illustrative of one way of forming amulti-story building structure. Instead of securing roof panels 33 overthe tops of wall panels 30 as shown, floor panels 9 (FIG. 2) asdescribed above may be secured over the tops of wall panels 30 withthreaded ends of tie bolts 14 protruding there through. Additional baselocating channels 12 are then aligned on the upper face of the floorpanels 9 over tie bolts 14 and further wall panels may then be erectedthereon as if the floor panels 9 together form a base 2 equivalent tothat shown in FIG. 1A. Upper edge locating channels are then securedover the upper edges of the upper wall structure and tensionable tiebolts 14 are inserted into the apertures 16 formed between adjacent wallpanels 30 to tie the top and bottom walls to the base 2 via the tiebolts 14. Typically, a ground floor wall panel will be 100 mm thickwhile an upper floor panel is 75 mm thick. Additional rigidity is givento the building structure by the lateral bracing by the floor panelsmounted between the upper and lower wall panels as well as a roofstructure secured to upper load bearing channels secured over the upperedges of the upper wall panels.

FIG. 7 shows the arrangement of the corners and tee-junctions of walls,in particular, the alternative arrangements of the upper edge locatingchannels and compression members at these junctions. A completed outerwall 30 is shown in place upon the base 2, with an upper channel member20 and compression member 21 on the top side thereof engaged by tie rodnuts 22. The wall junctions commonly include positioning profile members51 which are attached upright to the completed wall 30 at selectedpositions by screws 52. Lower panel edge locating channels 12 are fixedupon the floor surface or base 2 to locate the modular panels making upthe walls.

An outer wall panel 53 is shown ready to be positioned at the corner ofthe structure, whereby the recess 53A in the upright side of the outerwall panel cooperates with the rib 51A of the positioning profilemember. At a corner the upper edge locating channel 20 will have about75 mm removed from the inner flange of the C channelling. The remainingweb and outer flange of the C channelling member then run to the outeredge of the corner. The upper edge locating channel 20 on the joiningwall simply adjoins or overlaps the other upper edge locating channelwith a flange partially removed. The compression members 21 at thecorner joint are machined to half thickness for the length of the cornerjoint, thus forming half thickness tongues. These half thickness tonguesare arranged so that the compression members interlace or overlap,resulting in an even thickness of the compression members at the corner.One of the frameless modular panels forming the corner join has anadditional longitudinal hollow aperture, capable of receiving a tie rod14. This additional longitudinal cavity is located so as to be at thecentre of the corner join. Apertures 55 and 55A are provided on theupper edge locating channels 20 and compression members 21 to facilitatefixing the members together and corresponding to the additionallongitudinal cavity of the modular panel, thereby contributing to thestructural integrity of the building.

FIG. 7 also shows the tee-junction arrangement of an internal wall wherea tie rod in an intersecting wall is not in immediate proximity, but isprovided at the intersecting end of the internal wall. The internal wallpanel 57 (shown in fragmentary form) engages with the respectivepositioning profile member 51 thereby defining a longitudinal hollowaperture behind rib 51A. The upper edge locating channel 58 andcompression member 59 include apertures 60 & 60A at their extremities.The upper edge locating channel 58 and compression member 59 are thendisposed on the top side of the internal wall comprised of like panels57. The tie rod 14, provided for the end of the internal wall, may thenbe inserted through the apertures 60 and 60A and down into the cavityfor securing the internal wall 57.

Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless thecontext requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as“comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusionof a stated integer or group of integers or steps but not the exclusionof any other integer or group of integers.

1. A load bearing wall structure for a building, said load bearing wallstructure comprising: a plurality of frameless modular wall panels, eachsaid frameless wall panel having spaced skins of fibre reinforced cementsheet separated by a core of expanded in situ high density polyurethanefoam bonded to inner faces of said spaced skins, each said framelesswall panel also having formed in upright edges thereof a recessedchannel forming, together with a recessed channel of an edge-abuttingwall panel, a hollow aperture extending between top and bottom surfacesof said abutting frameless wall panels; a lower panel edge locatingchannel member securable to a building support base; an upper panel edgelocating channel member; and, a tensionable element extending via eachhollow aperture between an anchor member secured to said base and saidupper panel edge locating channel member whereby, in use, vertical loadsapplied to said wall structure are distributed substantially evenlythrough said spaced skins of said frameless modular wall panels.
 2. Theload bearing wall structure of claim 1, wherein the upper panel edgelocating channel member is a load transfer member.
 3. The load bearingwall structure of claim 2, wherein the load transfer member comprisessaid upper panel edge locating channel member and a compression member,in use, acting in unison.
 4. The load bearing wall structure of claim 1wherein one or more of said frameless wall panels each include anelongate hollow aperture extending between upper and lower edges of saidone or more frameless panels intermediate side edges thereof.
 5. Theload bearing wall structure of claim 4 wherein said elongate hollowaperture extends adjacent a normally upright edge of said one or moreframeless wall panels to accommodate a tensionable element.
 6. The loadbearing wall structure of claim 1 further including a ribbed edgelocating member securable to a face of a said frameless wall panel toengage a recessed channel of a further frameless wall panel to form a90° junction between said frameless wall panel and said furtherframeless wall panel.
 7. The load bearing wall structure of claim 6wherein said ribbed edge locating member comprises a channel-like recessbehind a projecting rib extending longitudinally of said ribbed edgelocating member, said channel-like recess, in use, being adapted toaccommodate a said tensionable element therein.
 8. The load bearing wallstructure of claim 6 wherein said ribbed edge locating member includes amounting flange extending longitudinally thereof.
 9. The load bearingwall structure of claim 1 wherein, in use, a roof structure is secureddirectly to said upper panel edge locating channel member to form anintegrally coupled building structure.
 10. A building structureincorporating the load bearing wall structure of claim
 1. 11. A buildingstructure incorporating the load bearing wall structure of claim 9wherein said roof structure is mechanically coupled to said base viasaid tensionable elements.